For years, experts have said that the Cleveland Guardians’ lineup lacks power.
We heard that in 2022, 2023, and even in their 2024 deep postseason run.
Through those years, they have made crucial moves to slowly get rid of that problem.
After their most recent addition, Cleveland’s lineup is starting to look longer, deeper, and better overall.
That’s the Nolan Jones effect.
A guy with his kind of power can really make an impact and improve the output of the entire offense.
“I think Nolan Jones has got that power that this club is going to need to lengthen that lineup a little bit,” Jensen Lewis said.
"I think Nolan Jones has got that power that this club is going to need to lengthen that lineup a little bit."
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— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) March 26, 2025
That’s Jensen Lewis’s, a Guardians analyst and former pitcher, opinion on the matter.
He knows and understands the effect of having a powerful guy hitting near the middle of the lineup: pitchers will have another headache to deal with in Cleveland if facing Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Kyle Manzardo, and Lane Thomas wasn’t enough.
Jones was awful last year in Colorado, with a .641 OPS.
However, he had to miss time with a lower back strain, a knee issue, and an illness.
Something evidently wasn’t quite right, because he had broken out in 2023 with a .931 OPS, 22 doubles, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases.
Assuming Jones is healthy, we should expect an OPS somewhere in between his 2023 and 2024 marks, but much closer to the former.
He is a godsend for the Guardians lineup, especially this late in the spring.
The right field spot went from being a liability at the start of the offseason to a strength, with Jones playing against righties and Jhonkensy Noel’s potent bat facing lefties.
NEXT: Guardians Analyst Predicts Another Division Crown For Cleveland
